The Rose
by bffimagine
Summary: As Ken dies in his arms, Aya realizes just how much his koishii taught him. RanKen, deathfic, songfic 'The Rose' by Bette Midler


Bffimagine: Alright, I finally gathered the courage to write my first Weiss Kreuz fic. Aren't you proud of me?

Aya: Couldn't care less. Get to the point.

Yohji: (smacks Aya) Let the girl talk!

Omi: (shaking head) She's only twelve, Yohji.

Yohji: Damn.

Bffimagine: … Okay there…

Ken: Don't mind (cough) our antics. You can go on with your story.

Bffimagine: But it's so much more fun to watch you guys!

> > > > > 

Notes: Shonen-ai, Aya/Ken, deathfic, angst, sad stuff, one-shot, songfic, past events made up by the author.

"Talking"

'Thoughts'

/Song Lyrics/

_Memories/flashbacks_

_ > > > > _

The ninjas closed in on the assassins, killer intent gleaming in their barely visible eyes.

Aya, Yohji, Ken and Omi were back to back facing the slew of opponents.

"Any bright ideas?" Yohji inquired no one in particular.

"Don't get killed," Aya responded shortly.

"We're completely surrounded. Since the ninja are almost in a perfect ring…" Omi calculated in his head, "Aya, take out all the enemies in front of you, I'll take out the people at the back, Yohji and Ken go for the rest."

"Sounds like a plan," Ken agreed, though his eyes held a glimmer of worry.

"Guys… if we don't make it through this, it was nice knowing you," Yohji stated, the ninja now barely ten feet away from the Weiss boys.

A moment of silence passed through the group. Each contemplated how much they'd miss each other, and the weight of sadness pressed down on them.

/Some say love/

Then the moment was over, and the Weiss assassins faced each other, silent understanding in their eyes. A unanimous nod went through the four, and they instantly turned and lunged for their opponents.

Aya blocked his ears and tried to ignore Yohji as the razor sharp wire decapitated all the ninja in the eldest assassin's path. Steeling himself, Aya slashed with his katana, slitting the throats of four ninja in one swipe, leaving them dead immediately.

"Watch it, Omi!" Yohji yelled over his shoulder. The archer whipped around, frozen in fear.

Ken was much faster, however, quickly cutting through the ninja to get to the youngest Weiss member. He ran right into Omi, bringing them both to the ground and causing the onslaught of needles to just barely miss them.

"You okay?" Ken asked shortly, pushing up off the ground and hoisting Omi up with him.

/It is a river/

"Fine," Omi panted, breathless in the moment.

A wave of fatigue suddenly hit Ken, and he staggered just a little. He shook his head, and grimaced, realizing not all the needles missed. He pulled the hair-like metal out of his neck, throwing it to the ground.

Making up for lost time, Aya killed the ninja trying to advance on the younger assassins. He gave Ken a glance that asked "Are you okay?", and getting a nod in response, went back to his own area of ninja.

Shaking the remaining fatigue out of his head, Ken allowed the adrenaline to course through him, and he relied on it to keep him awake for the rest of the battle.

Clenching his hands into fists, Ken narrowed his eyes from behind his purple goggles. The blades of his bugnuk claws shone with blood, and he sank them into countless other bodies.

Omi shot down every ninja coming his way, calculating quickly to take down the ones that were too far for the others to reach.

Yohji jumped to the side and stepped back to dodge attacks from enemies intent on bringing him down. He leapt to the right to evade one attack but was in the direct wake of another, and he didn't have time to move.

Bracing himself for the kunai that were doubtless going to sink into him, he blinked when he found they didn't come.

"Ken?"

Indeed, Ken smiled over at him. The soccer-player had just managed to push Yohji out of the way and dodge the attack as well, though he didn't come out of it unscathed.

"Nani? Ken, what's wrong?"

"I'm okay. Just a few scratches. Are you alright?"

Yohji nodded. Soon his wire was cutting through ninja, as were Ken's claws.

Aya thrust his katana right through a ninja. He looked over at Omi, who was still shooting.

His gaze found Yohji, who had pulled some sort of extension for his wire out of nowhere.

/That drowns/

The numbers of ninja dwindled down until there were only a few hundred left of the thousands. Yohji had a few minor cuts, a sprained wrist, and a split lip, but was otherwise fine. Aya had a couple more serious injuries, but nothing fatal, and Omi had a broken ankle but nothing more.

/The tender reed/

Aya was really only worried about Ken, who was poisoned and had a hard time breathing and thinking, as well as some severe bruising, cuts and about two broken ribs.

Ken was still hacking through the ninja, however, and soon there was only one very skilled one left.

Omi could no longer move his arms due to a paralyzing move a ninja had used on him, so Yohji stood right beside him to make sure this last ninja wouldn't take him out. Aya scanned the surroundings with a frown, unable to tell where the ninja would strike next.

/Some say love/

Yohji himself couldn't see straight, though he was determined to make sure the last opponent didn't hurt Omi.

Ken was panting, trying to breathe, but he felt his lungs constricting painfully. His head felt light and he was dizzy.

"You're bleeding," Aya said to him softly, and though still on his guard walked toward Ken.

Ken was shirking away but Aya caught his arm. There were several cuts all over Ken's body, some large and deep and bleeding profusely, and some nothing more than scratches.

Just as Aya turned his back to Ken the ninja was in front of him, lunging for him with a long blade.

/It is a razor/

In a flash, Ken was standing in front of him, arms spread protectively, as the ninja made a long, deep slash from his right shoulder to his left hip, the blood spraying Aya in the face. And in a fluid motion, the ninja's sword impaled Ken through the stomach.

The ninja snickered as it pulled the sword from Ken's limp body. Aya caught the younger boy as he collapsed, ignoring the pooling blood around him.

/That leaves/

Driven by blind rage, Aya savagely hacked at the opposing ninja, cutting him to barely anything but torn, bloody flesh.

As the ninja fell to the ground, brutally murdered, Aya turned back and fell to his knees beside his fallen comrade.

/Your soul to bleed/

Yohji and Omi watched sadly as Aya gathered Ken in his arms, the most heartbroken look on his face as the tears ran down.

Aya gently pushed the goggles from Ken's eyes. The green-blue pools of bright happiness opened, this time filled with tears.

"Ran," Ken's voice was quiet and raspy, "Are you alright?"

Wiping the tears from his face, Aya bit his lip. His real name sounded so good when Ken said it.

"I'm fine. Worry about yourself for once."

Gently wiping away Ken's tears, Aya looked into his eyes, finding only sadness, love, and a faint glimmer of the carefree happiness that was always there.

'He's so willing and ready to live. I don't want it to end like this.' Aya carefully caressed Ken's cheek with his fingertips.

/Some say love/

Omi turned away from the sight and buried his face in his hands. Yohji turned away as well, leaving the other two to themselves. He comfortingly rubbed Omi's back, trying to soothe the sobs that wracked the smaller boy's body.

/It is a hunger/

"Ken…" Aya couldn't keep the tears from falling as much as he wanted to.

"Aya… Ran, you know I love you. Aishiteru, koishii."

/An endless/

"Aishiteru, Ken. Itsumo." Aya bowed his head so his flame-red bangs fell over his eyes.

Ken strained to lift a hand and brush away the tears on Aya's pale skin.

/Aching need/

"Don't leave me, I need you," Aya whispered softly. Ken smiled.

"I'm sorry, Aya. I can't help it."

"I love you."

"I love you too."

/I say love/

Ken took Aya's palm and traced a pattern on it with his fingertip, the blood acting as ink.

/It is a flower/

The chocolate-haired boy smiled up at Aya as Aya realized exactly what he had drawn.

/And you/

Now the tears fell relentlessly. Careful not to smudge Ken's drawing, Aya hugged Ken closer to him.

/It's only seed/

Ken touched Aya's face one last time, also tracing the red forelocks of smooth hair.

/It's the heart/

Then his hand fell away, and his entire body went slack. His eyes were open for barely a moment longer, before they closed completely.

Aya choked back his tears. He remembered exactly how Ken had melted the icy walls he had built around his heart.

/Afraid of breaking/

_"Aya! This mission requires some undercover stuff. We have to take part in this ballroom party thing in order to take out this rich guy." Ken was flipping through the folder Manx had left them._

_Coming down the stairs Aya nodded silently in reply._

_"We need partners, so I'm with Yohji and you're with Ken," Omi announced. Aya again took this seemingly emotionlessly._

_'With Ken? It figures they'd set me up with exactly the person who I have a crush on, right?' Aya sighed mentally._

/That never/

_"Hold on…" Aya reran the information through his mind, then blushed._

_"What is it, Aya?" Ken asked, a tone of worry and caring in his voice._

_'He probably doesn't want to be partners with me. Well, there goes my chance with the one guy I fell in love with.' Ken refrained from wincing._

/Learns to dance/

_Still blushing furiously, Aya responded, "I-I don't know how to dance."_

_Ken almost laughed in relief._

_"We'll just teach you then!" Yohji said cheerfully._

/It's the dream/

_Feeling as if he were floating, Aya didn't want the moment to end. It was like he fell asleep and was dreaming._

_Ken grinned as he patiently taught Aya the steps. Aya learned quickly and soon they were ready for the night's mission._

/Afraid of waking/

_The mission went smoothly, and the assassins melted into the night, untraceable and never to be found._

/That never/

Aya cried silently, Ken's peaceful features facing him, almost as if he were in a simple slumber, yet this time he'd never wake.

/Takes the chance/

He remembered when Ken almost severed his foot because Yohji had left his wire on the floor and he had tripped over it, but he never blamed Yohji for the incident even though Yohji blamed himself.

_"I've always been kind of clumsy," Ken laughed._

And from then on Yohji was careful not to leave his weapon lying around. He also stopped smoking in the Koneko just because Ken hated it.

/It's the one/

'I was so distant until Ken led me to find myself,' Aya wiped his tears futilely as they just kept falling.

'When he confessed I was the happiest I'd been in my life.'

/Who won't be taken/

_"Aya?" Ken poked his head through Aya's bedroom door._

_"What is it?" Aya snapped out of habit._

_"Um…"_

_Sighing, Aya sat up on his bed. He looked into Ken's eyes intently._

_"I don't really know… how to say this… but… Aya…"_

_Aya kept silent as Ken searched for words._

_"Aya… Aishiteru."_

_No response could find its way to Aya's lips._

_'He loves me? But… I don't have anything to offer him…'_

/Who cannot/

_'You love him, idiot! That's all you need to give him. He gave you his heart, and you know you want to give him yours!' the screaming voice in Aya's head commanded._

/Seem to give/

_"Ken… I… aishiteru." Aya's voice was soft._

_The look of sheer joy in Ken's expression made Aya's heart melt into a puddle of crimson nothing._

_Aya stood and pulled Ken into a loving embrace, the younger boy pressing into the warmth. Running a hand through Ken's dark, silky soft hair, Aya whispered, "You have no idea how long I've wanted to do this."_

_Pressing further into Aya's chest, Ken snuggled close to his strawberry-haired koibito._

_Looking up at Aya's face, Ken's eyes filled with tears._

_Brushing the liquid diamonds away, Aya bent down and pressed his lips softly to Ken's in a chaste kiss. Ken's eyes closed as he leant into the caress, wrapping his arms tightly around Aya's back. Aya held the shorter boy protectively to him, stroking his face lovingly._

/And the soul/

Omi touched Aya's trembling shoulder gently, and the red-headed boy looked up at him, eyes wet with tears and cheeks flushed with crying.

"Ken was afraid," Aya breathed, so quiet Omi barely heard him, "He didn't want to die."

/Afraid of dying/

Shaking his head grimly, Omi gave Aya a small, sad smile.

"He didn't want to die. But he lived his life best he could, didn't he?"

/That never/

Nodding, Aya turned back to Ken's body in his arms. The tears dripped onto Ken's motionless arm, and Aya half expected him to stir.

/Learns to live/

'You taught me how to live my life like you did, Ken. I didn't know how to live after my parents died and Aya-chan's accident. I guess I forgot. But you had the patience to teach me, through your willingness to live. And even through all that, you were afraid to die. I failed you.' Aya closed his eyes against the pain that emanated from his heart.

/When the night/

"We can't leave Aya alone to cope," Omi stated quietly.

Clamping his teeth down on his lips, Yohji nodded in agreement, not trusting his voice lest he burst into tears.

/Has been too lonely/

"We have to cope together. Through the nightmares and the grief, we'll deal with it together," Yohji's voice was unsteady and wavering, but he managed to keep his tears from falling.

"Ken was always the one who dealt with his nightmares the best," Omi thought aloud, the tears evident in his voice, "I never thought we would ever lose him."

/And the road/

Aya picked Ken up and walked toward the other two.

"H-He's gone." Aya let his bangs cover his eyes again.

Yohji put his hand on Aya's shoulder consolingly.

"You don't have to go through this alone. We're going together."

"Weiss has been the family I've never had," Omi admitted as he stood across from Yohji and Aya, "So we'll get through this as a family. Ken would've wanted us to."

/Has been to long/

"As a family," Aya repeated, looking up at Omi and then to Yohji.

/When you think/

"You're our brother, Aya. We're brothers. Ken was our brother, but I think he meant more than that to you." Yohji dropped his hand from Aya's shoulder.

Aya nodded.

"Now that he's gone, we'll have to move on. We'll move on together, because we're brothers. Because we're family." Omi inhaled and looked at Yohji, who dipped his head in a small nod.

/That love is only/

Aya's eyes trailed down to Ken once again, and he smiled through the new tears that slid down his cheeks.

/For the lucky/

'Ken loved me even though I was cold to him and I pushed him away every time he tried to help me, and yet he still tried. And gradually, I pushed him away less and less.'

/And the strong/

'Together we can get through this,' Aya thought, looking at Omi and Yohji, knowing the pain and sadness was ripping them apart as well. But something told him his pain was the greatest of them all.

/Just remember/

"We'll never leave you, Aya," Omi smiled reassuringly, seeing the disbelieving look in Aya's eyes. He slung an arm around the taller boy's shoulders.

Yohji smiled as well and slung his arm around Aya's shoulders as well, from the other side.

"We're brothers forever."

/In the winter/

Aya finally looked up and smiled at the other two, despite his tears.

/Far beneath/

"Brothers forever."

/The bitter snows/

A moment of mutual understanding passed through the three. Yohji handed Omi Aya's katana, and Omi sheathed it. Yohji wrapped up his wire and retracted it into his watch-like holster. Omi put his remaining arrows in his quiver, then pulled the bow over his head and let it rest on his shoulder like the strap of a satchel.

/Lies the seed/

"Ken's not really gone. He's still in our hearts."

Omi smiled as he put Aya's sheathed katana in his belt.

/That with the sun's love/

"As long as we remember him, he'll always be there."

/In the spring/

Walking back to the Koneko, Aya shifted Ken in his arms so he could see the drawing in blood on his palm. He smiled sadly, allowing the last tears to fall.

/Becomes the rose/

Ken had drawn a blood-red rose.

OWARI

bffimagine: (sniff sniff) Aw, that's so sad!

Aya: …

Yohji: He's speechless. Good job.

Bffimagine: (bows) Arigato!

Omi: Oh no! He's crying.

Bffimagine: Aya-kun? Daijobu ka?

Aya: …

Bffimagine: For Pete's sake, Aya. Ken's not REALLY dead.

Ken: … That's nice to know (rolls eyes).

Aya: I've been outdone in assassination. How could this be?

Bffimagine: O.o Uhm… well, anyway, REVIEW!


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